Page 14 of Secrets in a Sandstorm

Teddy’s hand brushes mine as he slides in next to me, and I want to grab it and hold on. I don’t. I keep shuffling, ears straining for voices. The wind quietens the deeper I go, and the light dims. The rock gives me one final squeeze, then spits me out into what appears to be an empty cavern. I sigh, releasing the last bit of tension. I tug down the cloth protecting my face, and I draw in a breath.

“This is nice. Roomy,” Teddy says, leaning against me.

I put my arm around him to support him.

“Grab your flashlight.” My hands are full of him and supplies.

He does, flicking it on and doing a slow sweep of the cavern, confirming that we are alone. I sigh. Even though we aren’t safe, we are out of the storm, and for the moment, that’s enough.

“Let’s move away from the opening.” I indicate to the nine o’clock position, and we make our way over. I help Teddy sit. He tries to hide his wince but doesn’t do a good job of it.

I shed the gear I’m carrying and open the medical kit. “Let’s look at that graze and cover it up so it doesn’t get full of sand.”

My voice is rough, and my throat feels as though it’s made of sand. I take a drink from one of the half-empty bottles and hand it to Teddy. He takes a couple of gulps and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, then pulls a face as he realizes the sand is now stuck to his lips.

I put my hand out. “Pass me the flashlight and. Lie on your side.”

Concern fills his eyes. “You’ll tell me if it’s bad?”

“I’ll tell you,” I lie. If it’s bad, I’ll tell him he’s fine. If it’s fine, I’ll tell him the same thing. I undo his belt and pull up his shirt. There’s a bit of blood, but not too much. “I’m going to peel your undershirt away. It’s going to sting. Why don’t you tell me about your sweetheart? A young guy like you must have someone back home?”

He’s silent for several seconds. “I don’t have a girl back home. I have one here.”

I force a laugh and peel up the once-white undershirt. It’s sticky with blood, and the wound is a bit more than a graze. The bullet bit his side and took a chunk. I can’t tell ifit’s in him or just scraped his side, but at least it didn’t seem to have hit anything major, or he’d be bleeding much more. Gut wounds left untreated are a terrible way to die, and we could be trapped here for hours or days. “The only women in Cairo are married, spies, or getting paid by the hour.”

“I don’t think she’s married. She doesn’t wear a ring. And I’m pretty sure she’s not a spy.”

“Well, that only leaves one option.”

He hisses as I wash the wound and apply the bandage. “You forgot about nurses.”

That’s true. “I did.”

“I’m pretty sure she isn’t aware that I like her.”

“Well, when you go to Cairo, so the doctors can patch you up, perhaps you should tell her. After you confirm if she’s married or not. You don’t want to be stepping on a doctor’s toes.”

“What about you, sir? Are you married?”

I pause with my hands on the bandage. “I was.”

“What happened?”

“She and the baby died in childbirth. Six months later, war broke out, and I enlisted.” I needed to run away. I wanted to hide from what I’d done.

“To escape the memory?”

“To try to be a better man. I wasn’t faithful. Maybe if I had been, God wouldn’t have punished me.” I no longer have a relationship with Him. Not after seeing so many good men die.

My wife didn’t deserve to die just because I was a terrible husband.

“I’m sorry.”

I haven’t told anyone the full story. I’m not sure I want to tell Teddy either, but I also don’t want to die carrying the secret. “Do you want some of that vodka?”

“I would love some.”

I help him sit up, and we sit side by side in the dark so as not to waste the battery. I’ll light the fire in a bit, but we don’t have much to burn. I hope the storm blows over soon. Not that Teddy will be able to make the walk back to base, but at least we’ll be able to radio for assistance. I take a drink and pass him the bottle. His fingers brush mine, and I try not to enjoy the touch.

---